Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving

I'm so thankful to report that our family Thanksgiving, with house full of loved ones and thankful hearts abounding, was all I could hope for!

Apart from the wonderful family time, and blessed hearts and lives, this large gathering and all it's logistics has taught me much. For instance, basic and easy recipes are often the best. Every recipe I took from a certain magazine I love, was less than great. Learned my lesson.

The big cooking success was two-fold: First, turkey in a bag!!! Let me say it again: "Turkey in a bag!" So yummy. And secondly, having a dear friend by my side to help me keep from losing my mind while minding the last concoctions and timing, to get it all on the table before everyone went to Taco Bell. Thank you, Colette!So I've never seen mashed potatoes disappear that fast in my life! And I've never seen this large family eat dessert 5 minutes after dinner, but they did. And it wasn't because of lack of dinner, either!

The truth of the matter is that the long, long (yet wonderful!) Thanksgiving Days of my childhood are no more. Everyone is older, and everyone had to drive a lot to get here, and to go home. People are tired and lingering is more difficult. But, every minute was precious! We fit it in. We hugged, laughed, shared...all that good stuff.

I wonder if each person there was thinking of Thanksgivings past, like I was. Missing my mom. Seeing my Aunt in one of her shirts. Smelling my mother's perfume. Seeing my brother, whom I couldn't help but hug more than anyone. Seeing my children soak in the family goodness. Realizing how everyone is growing older.